PAIGE LANDSEM | FREELANCE REPORTER
The club hockey team has big goals for the season, but it knows that success in the future depends on its performance in the present.
Oregon hosted Simon Fraser University from Burnaby, British Columbia, over the weekend. Friday night’s game resulted in an 3-11 loss for the Ducks, but they improved their game and limited Simon Fraser’s scoring ability in a 1-4 loss on Saturday. Despite the losses, the Ducks “played very good hockey” against a good opponent, said senior captain Jeff Gibb. The Ducks (8-4) have two games remaining at Portland State University before winter break.
Gibb and team coordinator Sam Cehula have been pleased with the season so far. In practice, the team has been working on defense and its ability to force turnovers. Gibb stressed the importance of capitalizing on the team’s impressive speed on the ice. “We’re very fast,” he said.
Additionally, the team has faced one major injury; a severe concussion suffered by sophomore forward Kevin Keeland early in the season has limited his ability to play.
In Keeland’s absence, the whole team has contributed. “Everybody’s doing what they need to do,” Gibb said. Cehula added that the play of senior forward Cale Meyer has been an important part of the team’s success.
The bond that has formed between players has also helped the squad. “Team camaraderie is our biggest strength,” Cehula said. Both Cehula and Gibb said that this is the most tightly knit team either has played with in their years at Oregon.
With a strong team bond already established, the Ducks are now focused on their division. “We’re hoping to repeat as Pac-8 champs this year,” Cehula said.
To do so, they must contend with two tough road trips after winter break. Just days after returning, the team will travel to Spokane, Wash., to play Eastern Washington University, which is currently ranked fourth in the American Collegiate Hockey Association West Region.
A week later, the Ducks will travel to Utah for their toughest road trip of the season. Cehula noted that the team’s going to the ACHA West Region tournament largely depends on its success against Utah State, the third-ranked team in the region.
The University of Washington will then travel to Eugene in late January to play the final two games of Oregon and Washington’s I-5 series, of which the Ducks have already taken two of four games.
The Pac-8 championships will take place in Eugene Feb. 13-15, and the team expects to benefit from playing big games on its home ice. “That’s going to be a big bonus, to be at home,” Gibb said.
If it is successful in the Pac-8, the Ducks will participate in the West Region championships at the end of February. It would mark Oregon’s fourth-straight trip to the regional championships.
While Cehula said it’s “looking like a battle” to pass regionals this season, he knows the team’s potential: “We get a little closer every year.”
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